Ex-Oiler Curley Culp takes his place in Hall of Fame

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CANTON, Ohio — Former nose tackle Curley Culp gave an elegant, touching speech that was the shortest and possibly the sweetest of the Class of 2013 that was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

After being presented by his son, Chad, Culp — in a 10-minute, 35-second speech — thanked many of those who influenced him on and off the field during a 14-year career, the first 13 with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oilers.

Culp, one of two senior nominees, along with Green Bay outside linebacker Dave Robinson, was inducted at Fawcett Field 33 years after his career ended with the Detroit Lions in 1981.

“This is an occasion that’s long been in my dreams and now lives in reality,” Culp said. “I cannot express how glorious a feeling this is for me and my family, who long hoped that this day would come.

“To be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame gives me joy and inspiration that’ll last the rest of my life.”

Among the many Culp thanked were his team owners, Lamar Hunt and Bud Adams, of the Chiefs and Oilers, respectively.

“These are the men who made my professional playing days happen,” Culp said. “Lamar Hunt was so kind to me (that) he even wrote me a hand-written letter that I keep to this day. Bud Adams was instrumental in getting me to the Oilers, and I’m eternally grateful.

“Good owners make great players, and this is what these owners did for me.”

Culp also thanked his coaches, Hank Stram with the Chiefs and Bum Phillips.

“What can I say about two of the greatest coaches a player could ever work with?” Culp said. “Hank had a long vision about the game and how it should be played — discipline in training, effort by all.

“Believe in ourselves — that was the driving force of his coaching philosophy.”

During the 1968 preseason, the Chiefs traded for Culp after he was drafted in the second round by Denver. Culp helped Stram win Super Bowl IV over Minnesota.

During the 1974 season, Stram traded Culp to the Oilers. Phillips was his defensive coordinator for the rest of that season and his coach for the rest of his Oilers career.

Culp became the first full-time 3-4 nose tackle, and he might be the greatest to play that demanding position.

“What other coach had an opera written about him?” Culp said. “That would be the one and only Bum Phillips.

“Bum was a player’s coach. When they traded for me, a whole new dimension of defensive football began for me. Playing nose tackle was a hallmark of Bum’s defensive strategy.

“A huge shout-out to Bum and the Oilers, the guy who set in motion an Astrodome era that was like no other. It made my time with the Oilers unforgettable.”

Culp, 67, grew up in Yuma, Ariz. His late parents instilled the attitude in him that would help him become a two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Arizona State before embarking on his Hall of Fame career.

“Although I’m joined tonight by so many friends and family members, two of the most important people in my life, my parents, are not here to celebrate with me,” Culp said. “Both died over 20 years ago, but their influence and spirit remain with me.

Homage to parents

“My parents were homesteaders. They lived a farming life, raising a combined family of 11 children. Though my parents depended on me to help with my dad’s pig farm and earning extra money in the summer picking watermelons in California and doing odd jobs whenever I could, they supported me whenever I had the opportunity to leave home.

“My parents were people of rigid faith and uncompromising discipline, and that helped me become a successful student-athlete. I will always remember their love and appreciate what they did for me. Thank you mom and dad.”